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Do You Need an Agent to Submit to Publishers?

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In the latest edition of Writing World, Moira Allen has an
article answering the following questions:

Is it mandatory to go through an agent before submitting to a
publisher?

Are there free agents?

Do most publishers want the author to put money down up
front?

I don't know what genre I write in. I don't know what I like to
read. Why are writers and readers so caught up with genres and
labels?

Because I get a lot of similar questions - and I don't know the answers
because this isn't my area of expertise - I asked Moira if I could publish
her answers for all to see.

But before I do that, here's some info about Ms. Allen. She has
been writing and editing professionally for more than 20 years. A columnist
for The Writer, she is also the author of Starting Your Career as a
Freelance Writer;The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and
Proposals (now available as an e-book); and Writing.com: Creative
Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing Career. For more details,
visit:http://www.writing-world.com/moira/moira.shtml

Now for those answers from her copyrighted article:

Last question first: Readers and writers aren't caught up with
genres and labels; publishers and booksellers are. It makes it easier to
put a book on the right "shelf." That's why even a so-called "crossover"
novel (e.g., "science fiction/romance") will generally be placed on one
shelf (most likely "romance") rather than in both genres.

Next question: REPUTABLE agents do not charge money up front. They
make their money by selling books. Of course, that makes it harder to get
an agent, because they won't TAKE your book unless they are absolutely
certain they can sell it to a publisher. But do not, repeat, DO
NOT use an agent who asks for money from you up front, such as a
"reading fee" or something of that nature. Of course you'll be able to
"get" an agent who charges the writer money -- because such an agent
doesn't care if your book is any good or not! He or she is making money
anyway, off YOU, whether the book can be sold. Reputable agents take a
commission off sales (15%), and if your book doesn't sell, you don't owe
them any money.

Another scam to watch out for is one that, sadly, is still going
on: The agent who says that your book is ALMOST ready for publication, and
they might consider taking you on if you get a professional editing job --
and they then refer you to an editor/book doctor they just happen to know
who can handle this.*

I've just heard of a new variation on this scheme: An agency that requires
a person submitting a manuscript to include a "critique" with the
submission. The writer asked a friend to provide this, but the agent
"rejected" the friend's critique and then recommended that the writer pay
a "professional" $100 to provide it instead.

Needless to say, the "professional" was an editor/book doctor whose job
was to convince the writer that her manuscript needed professional
editing.*

Now to the first question: Is it mandatory? No. Some publishers do
not require submissions to be agented." Others do. It's simply a matter of
looking at the publisher's guidelines. If a publisher accepts unsolicited
or unagented submissions, you can go to them directly. If they say "no
unagented submissions," then you'd have to have an agent to reach that
publisher.

However, having an agent does more than just getting your book in
the door. An agent will help negotiate a contract that is more in your
favor, and help sell subsidiary rights to your book -- perhaps even get a
movie deal if it's the right kind of book. So an agent can do a lot more
for you than you can do for yourself, particularly if you're not familiar
with the book-publishing industry.

But the first thing to do is get the book written. Agents and
publishers will usually NOT look at a proposal from a first-time (i.e.,
unpublished) author who hasn't finished the book. That's simply because
there are so many authors who THINK they are going to write a book, but
never actually get it done. So if the book isn't finished, get the book
written, then worry about agents and publishers!

----

* Note: I am not and never will be in any agent's pocket. I.e., I'm
not an editor/doctor in cahoots with an agent to rip off unsuspecting
(usually first-time) authors.

That said, most authors do need to get their writing
professionally edited before submitting it to an agent or
publisher. It's not the agent's job to clean up the author's
writing, and by getting their manuscript professionally edited, authors
show that they know how to make a good impression. This bodes
well for marketing of the published book, as authors must attend
book-signings and do other promotions to make their books sell. A
sloppy manuscript could mean that the author would also be sloppy in their
commitment to marketing (read: making the agent, and the author, some
money!).